The run for the national championship in college football became official last night.

The Bowl Championship Series, or BCS, combines several polls and computer rankings to choose two teams to play for the title. It released its first 2013 rankings Sunday night, and Ohio State ranks fourth behind Alabama, Florida State and Oregon.

For more on the BCS and a new system going into effect next season, WOSU’s Steve Brown spoke with the man who created the BCS, former Southeastern Conference Commissioner Roy Kramer. Click the play button above to hear their conversation.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2013/10/21/osu-ranked-4th-in-first-bcs-standings/feed/0bcs,Bowl Championship Series,football,ohio state football,Ohio State University,OSU,OSU Football,sportsOhio State sits behind Alabama, Florida State, and Oregon in the first round of Bowl Championship Series rankings released Sunday evening.Ohio State sits behind Alabama, Florida State, and Oregon in the first round of Bowl Championship Series rankings released Sunday evening.WOSU Newsno3:38Ohio State Loses BCS Championship Bidhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/01/08/ohio-state-loses-bcs-championship-bid/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/01/08/ohio-state-loses-bcs-championship-bid/#commentsTue, 08 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000Sam Hendrenhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/01/08/ohio-state-loses-bcs-championship-bid/The Ohio State Buckeyes lost their second straight shot at a national football championship title Monday night. Second ranked LSU defeated Ohio State 38 to 24 at the Superdome in New Orleans.

]]>The Ohio State Buckeyes lost their second straight shot at a national football championship title Monday night. Second ranked LSU defeated Ohio State 38 to 24 at the Superdome in New Orleans.

In Columbus, thousands watched at sports bars and restaurants. It was only the fourth play of the game when the crowd at Champs, just west of the Ohio State University campus, burst into thundering applause.

Beanie Wells ran 65 yards for a touchdown. It was the same strong start that marked the beginning of last year’s championship game against Florida. By the end of the first quarter, Buckeye fan John Parsons said he was “cautiously optimistic.”

“I think we did really well,” Parsons says. “We’re controlling the line of scrimmage. I’m happy that Beanie’s gotten off to a good start. I think we need to control the clock a little bit more and hopefully avoid any costly turnovers. As long as our defense continues to play well we’re going to be okay.”

But by the end of the second quarter it was obvious Ohio State was in trouble. The Tigers’ Jacob Hester had a touchdown run that put LSU ahead 24 to 10 just before halftime.

“We start off kind of well; kind of reminds me of deja vu from last year because we score in the first few minutes of the game,” Fais said. “But I think LSU is just dominant on both sides of the ball. I really just feel that if things don’t dramatically change this could be a three or four touchdown victory for LSU,” he said.

Fais’s prediction was disappointingly close. LSU scored 31 straight points to take a 31 to 10 lead. Ohio State would score again, but the Buckeyes were plagued by penalties, missed tackles, and a blocked kick. The game ended 38 to 24.

Todd Boeckman threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns but also had a pair of interceptions. Wells had 146 yards on 20 carries.

“Well tonight I think we got outplayed. But maybe there’s next year,” said Lou Blackford.

Most of the crowd had drifted away toward the end of the fourth quarter, but Blackford stayed with a large group of friends until the bitter end.

“It’s always fun to watch the Buckeyes,” Blackford said. “They can’t always win but it sure would be nice to win one of those championship games. But we’re always Buckeye fans.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/01/08/ohio-state-loses-bcs-championship-bid/feed/0bcs,beanie,boeckman,lsu,wellsThe Ohio State Buckeyes lost their second straight shot at a national football championship title Monday night. Second ranked LSU defeated Ohio State 38 to 24 at the Superdome in New Orleans.The Ohio State Buckeyes lost their second straight shot at a national football championship title Monday night. Second ranked LSU defeated Ohio State 38 to 24 at the Superdome in New Orleans.WOSU Newsno2:47Drubbing in last year’s championship game contributes to apathy this yearhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/01/04/drubbing-in-last-years-championship-game-contributes-to-apathy-this-year/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/01/04/drubbing-in-last-years-championship-game-contributes-to-apathy-this-year/#commentsFri, 04 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000Steve Brownhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/01/04/drubbing-in-last-years-championship-game-contributes-to-apathy-this-year/The Ohio State football team will, for the second straight season, play for the national championship. Last year Ohio State finished undefeated and was favored to win. But the Buckeyes were soundly defeated by the University of Florida in the BCS National Championship Game. And as WOSU's Steve Brown reports, that loss may be contributing to a relative lack of excitement about this year's finale.

]]>Most of us have heard the clich s from Ohio State football fans: win at all costs, we should be in the running for a championship every year, beat Michigan, so on and so forth. And one would think the Buckeyes lived up to those expectations this year. They finished the regular season with 11 wins, a second straight Big Ten championship, and a fourth straight victory over Michigan. Even with that success, there still seems to be less buzz around this year’s championship game.

This is the first week of winter classes on the OSU campus. The lobby of Barnes and Noble bookstore on North High St. is full of students stocking up on textbooks, notebooks and other school supplies. Just behind the line at the cash register sits a rack of BCS National Championship game T-shirts and sweatshirts, all adorned with a picture of an Ohio State helmet and the helmet of Louisiana State University, OSU’s opponent in the title game. They look a lot like the T-shirts and sweatshirts sold before last year’s game.

And that may be the problem.

After a 41 to 14 thumping by the Florida Gators in last year’s championship game, many fans are hesitant to expect victory this year over another team from the tough Southeastern Conference. Matthew Branson is an OSU senior .

We have the same kind of wait between games as we did last year, Bransen says. It’s against another SEC team like last year, and the Tigers are traditionally a really good team, like last year, and I just don’t think people are expecting a very good turnout.

That sentiment is shared by junior Collin Brannick. Brannick says fans are still excited about the LSU game. Excited, but weary.

Everybody is just sitting back and being a little more relaxed until they actually watch the game and make sure we show up and get it done this year, Brannick says.

Across campus, manager Laurie Wilkens is just finishing up the lunch rush at the Varsity Club. The bar, in the shadow of Ohio Stadium, is a popular Buckeye fan hangout. Wilkens says she too senses less excitement from her customers. Since OSU’s last national championship in 2002, she and other Varsity Club employees have always followed the team to their bowl game to host a tailgate party. But she says the bar almost cancelled this year’s trip because managers didn’t know if they could handle a repeat of last year.

You come off a loss like that last year, and it’s very painful, Wilkens says. We’re back with an SEC playing for the national championship game again. It’s heartbreaking, and you’re definitely a little more hesitant. I think less people are traveling, and there seems to be more tickets available than last year. And they seem to be dropping in price as well, which is generally a sign.

Now some might say stressing out before a big game is normal Buckeye fan paranoia. But even Columbus Police recognize a difference between this year and last. There has been trouble after big OSU wins in recent years, including highly-publicized riots after the 2002 OSU-Michigan game. But police spokesperson Amanda Ford says the department chose to scale back gameday efforts this year, including shortening a parking ban on several core-campus streets.

We’ll still have our plain-clothed and in-uniform officers, our walking crews, bike crews, our mounted unit, Ford says. We’ll still have a strong police presence, but the parking ban was one of the things they chose to downsize this year.

While city officials surely appreciate a more mellow fanbase, clothing vendors do not. Store manager Oren GIllespie is taking in ventory at The Buckeye Room, a sporting goods store in the Tuttle Crossing Mall in Dublin. He says there has been a decreased demand for championship game gear this year, so much that The Buckeye Room is only carrying about 20 percent of what it did last year.

Going in undefeated (last year), the odds-on favorite, there was a considerable amount of hype before the game, so there was a lot more product available, Gillespie says. Things like T-shirts, sweatshirts, styles, designs. Everything from coffee mugs to sweatshirts and things like that. This year I just haven’t seen the product available like it was to us last year.

A big reason for the drop in demand, Gillespie says, is the amount of what he calls unwearable T-shirts purchased last year.

People, you know, they have this T-shirt that they don’t really wear that often, Gillespie says with a laugh. This year they’re kind of waiting to see what happens at the end of the game.

But if OSU wins the championship game, everything changes. Gillespie says most stores have already placed what if orders for national championship merchandise, and trucks would start running almost immediately after an OSU victory.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/01/04/drubbing-in-last-years-championship-game-contributes-to-apathy-this-year/feed/0bcs,lsu,ohio stateThe Ohio State football team will, for the second straight season, play for the national championship. Last year Ohio State finished undefeated and was favored to win. But the Buckeyes were soundly defeated by the University of Florida in the BCS Na...The Ohio State football team will, for the second straight season, play for the national championship. Last year Ohio State finished undefeated and was favored to win. But the Buckeyes were soundly defeated by the University of Florida in the BCS National Championship Game. And as WOSU's Steve Brown reports, that loss may be contributing to a relative lack of excitement about this year's finale.WOSU Newsno4:52Long Wait Nearly Over for Buckeyes, Fanshttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2007/01/08/long-wait-nearly-over-for-buckeyes-fans/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2007/01/08/long-wait-nearly-over-for-buckeyes-fans/#commentsMon, 08 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000Mike Thompsonhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2007/01/08/long-wait-nearly-over-for-buckeyes-fans/The long wait is nearly over for passionate Buckeye fans. The Ohio State Buckeyes and University of Florida Gators play College Football's National championship tonight in Glendale, Arizona.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2007/01/08/long-wait-nearly-over-for-buckeyes-fans/feed/0bcs,heismanThe long wait is nearly over for passionate Buckeye fans. The Ohio State Buckeyes and University of Florida Gators play College Football's National championship tonight in Glendale, Arizona.The long wait is nearly over for passionate Buckeye fans. The Ohio State Buckeyes and University of Florida Gators play College Football's National championship tonight in Glendale, Arizona.WOSU Newsno3:19